Two to Watch – Moonee Valley

Tara Madgwick - Friday February 11

There were a couple of very impressive three year-old winners at Moonee Valley last night that will be aiming up at stakes races in coming weeks.

Advertisement

Mars Mission bolts in at Moonee Valley - image George Salpigtidis / Racing Photos

Expensive Deep Field colt Mars Mission won his maiden at Warwick Farm last month at his second starts and dished out a galloping lesson to his rivals at Moonee Valley, exploding away to win the Benchmark 64 event over 1200m by more than four lengths.

“He let down fantastic and had a bit of class there,” said winning rider Jye McNeil, who rode Mars Mission on debut at Sandown last August when he finished third.

“He’s come on physically and mentally and the penny has really started to drop.”
 



An $800,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Attunga Stud draft for Alan Bell, who raced his sire Deep Field, Mars Mission runs for a partnership headed by Bell that also includes Vinery Stud and the colt’s breeders.

Mars Mission is a three-quarter brother to Group III winner Sun City and half-brother to stakes-winner Parlophone and stakes-placed Spin.

He is the fifth winner from five foals to race from stakes-winning Flying Spur mare Roulettes, who has a yearling colt by Dundeel headed to Inglis Easter for Attunga Stud as Lot 387.

Roulettes was one of 163 mares covered last spring at Newgate Farm by Deep Field at a fee of $88,000.

Keeping her unbeaten record intact when going two for two was the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Not a Single Doubt filly Snapped.

Snapped will be back at Moonee Valley in a couple of weeks for a Black Type race - image George Salpigtidis / Racing Photos

An easy winner on debut at Pakenham last month, she zoomed clear to win the Benchmark 64 event for fillies and mares by three and a half lengths.
 



“She was a little bit keen and fresh tonight with a month between runs, but she has a serious engine,” said Sam Freedman.

“We came here tonight with an eye on the Typhoon Tracy (Group III) in a couple of weeks time, so she’ll come back here now for that.

“She got around the Valley well and with Jonathan Munz’s fillies the main thing is to get Black Type with them ad she’s headed in that direction.”

A $220,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Highgrove Stud draft for Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock, Snapped is the first living foal from Fracture, an unraced full sister to Group I winner Wanted and half-sister to Group II winner Shrapnel.

Highgrove Stud sold the yearling half-sister by More than Ready (USA) to Snapped at Inglis Classic this week for $310,000 to E Wong/ A Chu and the mare produced a filly by Capitalist last spring.

Fracture was one of 189 mares covered last year by Not a Single Doubt’s Golden Slipper winning son Farnan, so will produce a three-quarter relation to Snapped this year.

 

Advertisment

Race Result - Happy 95th Horace Gelder-Bm64 1200m

Moonee Valley Track: Good(3) Time: 1:10.53
1
Mars Mission
- 3c Deep Field (AUS) x Roulettes (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: Jye McNeil 59.5
2
4.3
He's The Ultimate
- 3g Fastnet Rock (AUS) x Spirit Of Heaven (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: P G Moody Rdr: Jamie Kah 60
3
5.1
Rolling Moss
- 8g Moshe (AUS) x Zoeanos (AUS) (Tuscanos (AUS))
Tnr: Shawn Mathrick Rdr: Josh Richards 58
4
12.0
Fortune Follows
- 5g Akeed Mofeed (GB) x Flying Success (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: P L Caboche Rdr: D Caboche 59
5
12.1
Serenaur
- 3g Star Turn (AUS) x Orlaith (AUS) (Toorak Toff (AUS))
Tnr: Brent Stanley Rdr: M Aitken 58
More Reading...
30 Runners in Goffs Million!
The stage is set for Europe’s richest two-year-old race, the Goffs Million (7f), which has attracted a maximum field of 30 runners at the Curragh this Saturday and the €1 million contest, with prize money down to 10th, is only open to graduates of last year’s Goffs Orby Sale.
Wootton Bassett Colt Wins G2 Stutt Stakes
The racing and breeding world was shocked earlier this week by the passing of champion sire Wootton Bassett (GB), whose talented son West of Swindon picked the right race in which to break his maiden when scoring a bold front running victory in the $300,000 Group II MVRC Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Aquis Welcome First foals for Young Gun Officiating
A fast Group winning sprinter by Breeders Cup Classic winner Blame, Officiating (USA) was carefully selected by Aquis Stallions following a global headhunting mission to secure an outcross stallion for Queensland and his first foals are arriving this spring.
Expensive I Am Invincible Mare Wins G1 Manikato
The highest priced filly at the 2022 Magic Millions Yearling Sale when selling for $1.55million, I Am Invincible filly Charm Stone has been a star from day one and is now a two time Group I winner after landing her second victory at the top level with a dominant win in the $2million MVRC Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
La Dorada Chasing Redemption at Valley
Last season’s champion NZ two-year-old La Dorada will be out to prove her ability against her Australian counterparts on Friday night when she contests the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley.
Sires With Winners - Friday September 26
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Toronado’s Snow Mercy Takes Out G3 Scarborough Stakes
Coming off the back of a maiden victory at Morphettville recently at just her second start, the Phillip Stokes trained Snow Mercy highlighted her future class with an impressive victory in the Group 3 MVRC Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
Deserving Stakes Success For Splash Back (Fr)
Unlucky not to already has a stakes victory on her resume, the Grahame Begg trained French-bred Le Havre mare Splash Back (Fr) broke through on Friday night at Moonee Valley, winning the $300,000 Group 2 MVRC Stock Stakes (1500m).